244 THE GARDENER. [June 



them, such merely artificial modes of exhibiting plants, then, and not 

 till then, will wire trellises become a thing of the past : the sooner it 

 does, the better for legitimate exhibiting. 



Apropos of floral exhibitions, it may be stated that a society is in 

 course of formation having for its object the encouragement of florists' 

 flowers. Those who are engaged in forming the society intimate that 

 their first object would be to revive the once popular autumn exhibi- 

 tion of Dahlias, Verbenas, Gladiolus, Hollyhocks, &c, at the Crystal 

 Palace ; and also to endeavour to bring forward, from their compara- 

 tive obscurity, many of those flowers that were once grown for exhibi- 

 tion to a great extent, but which are now sadly neglected ; such things 

 as the Auricula, Polyanthus, Pansy, Cineraria, &c, would no doubt 

 receive special encouragement. The contributors to the fund now 

 being raised to hold an autumn show at the Crystal Palace comprise 

 many of the leading nurserymen and amateur cultivators of the day ; 

 and it is stated that the directors of the Crystal Palace are prepared 

 to meet the new society in the most liberal manner. The Rev. H. 

 H. Dombrain, Westwell Vicarage, Ashford, is in the mean time acting 

 as secretary to the embryo society, and to him all communications 

 should be addressed. 



While this praiseworthy effort is being made to restore to popular 

 favour some of the gems in the lists of florists' flowers, there is also 

 being carried on in the pages of a contemporary a lively discussion 

 under the general head of Flowers and Flower-shows. Mr William 

 Paul, of Waltham Cross, who has retired from active participation in 

 the work of exhibiting, has boldly avowed his conviction that the 

 asserted decline of flower-shows is, to a great extent, attributable to 

 the fact that many of the leading flowers, such as the Dahlia, 

 Hyacinth, Pelargonium, Rose, &c. are subjected to such an amount of 

 dressing and handling as to altogether mislead the public ; and the 

 public, who are the popular patrons of horticulture, are becoming 

 aware of this, and, disliking the partly artificial aspect many of these 

 things present, are withdrawing their patronage from the shows in 

 consequence. This is a pretty fair representation of Mr Paul's argu- 

 ment, and it indicates the line of attack he has followed. " Dressing," 

 states Mr Paul, "is now carried further than ever, and the Dahlia is 

 made up of two or more flowers, and dressed with all the skill of an 

 accomplished milliner ; " instancing the case of Pelargonium flowers 

 made up of several petals gummed together, and so on. Such state- 

 ments as these practically assert that the dishonest exhibitor is not the 

 thing of the past we had fervently hoped he was, but that he is more 

 active than ever in our midst, duping the judges and public alike, and 

 chuckling over his ill-gotten gains. But, in all soberness, is such a 



